Eucatastrophe

If someone came up to you and asked what you thought of the Eucatastrophic features of Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, what would you say? I was placed in exactly this situation this week during my first tutorial session with Dr. Emma Plaskit.

For you younger readers, if someone ever asks you a question to which you have no idea of the answer, your best approach is to shield your temporary lack of knowledge by asking a "clarifying question." This is the approach that I employed with Dr. Plaskit.

"In which book are you referring?"

By carefully listening to her answer and piecing together what I knew of the word itself ("eu" is Greek prefix which means "good" or "well.") I was able to discern that Euchatastrophic simply means "happy ending." Why it is necessary to use a $12 word to describe a $0.05 concept is beyond me. Simple, straightforward language always increases communication and understanding.

The rest of my tutorial was interesting and insightful. Dr. Plaskit and I dug into the world of Narnia and talked about the influences that were working on Dr. Lewis at the time. Interestingly, as I read numerous essays by him, I learned that when he began writing the Chronicles, his goal was not to create a Christian allegory. In fact, he is dead set against any writer who sets out with the express purpose of communicating a specific idea, moral, or religion. Lewis says it much bet than I:

"Let the [story] tell you its own moral. For the moral inherent in them will rise from whatever spiritual roots you have succeeded in striking during the whole course of your life. But if they don't show you any moral, don't put one in. For the moral you put in is likely to be a platitude, or even a falsehood, skimmed from the surface of your consciousness." (Taken From "On Three Ways of Writing for Children")

What has become popular opinion, that Lewis started to create a particularly Christian series of books, is in fact, not the case. In no way should this diminish the power of the Christian themes within the Chronicles. In fact, they speak from Lewis' deep rooted Christian beliefs. He didn't have to try to push them onto the paper, they ran right through his fingertips.

This week, I will be reading Paradise Lost by John Milton (1608-1674) alongside of Lewis' Screwtape letters. My task is to analyze the treatment of evil in both works. Lewis worked with Paradise Lost considerably and eventually published a forward to the work in 1942. This epic poem was a considerable influence on Lewis as well as his friend J.R.R. Tolkein.

The climate in Oxford is highly academic. Everyone you pass on the street is engaged in deep conversations. As I pass by I catch words like "...plato...", "...In the epic tradition...", "before the romantic period..." and on it goes. Oxford is know for the "town and gown;" that is the thriving economic center intertwined with one of the world leading research universities. It's a pleasure to be a part of it in a small way.

Hopefully you have gotten a glimpse at what a tutorial at Oxford is like. Although it's a lot of work, it is easy to see yourself grow and your knowledge of a subject increase quickly.

Cheers...

Magdalen bridge near Magdalen College
(the tower is in the distance).
C.S. Lewis taught medieval and
renaissance literature here for 29 years.